Speaker A
[Music] But the people I know who are most successful, usually they're successful because they found something that they really care about, and they worked at it and became really good at it.
Barack Obama shares advice on hope, optimism, and pursuing passions to create positive change worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- Success is driven by passion and dedication, not by chasing wealth or power directly.
- Optimism and hope are essential to motivate positive change.
- Immediate action on issues you care about is more impactful than waiting for future opportunities.
- The world has improved significantly over time, offering a hopeful outlook for the future.
- Personal involvement and persistence can create meaningful change even without fame or high office.
What the video covers
- Obama emphasizes that success comes from finding something you deeply care about and working hard to become good at it.
- He encourages young people to be optimistic despite negative news, highlighting that the world is healthier, wealthier, and more peaceful than before.
- Obama advises focusing on what you want to do rather than what you want to be, stressing passion over status or power.
- He urges immediate action to help causes you care about, such as poverty or the environment, rather than waiting for a future position of power.
- Obama shares his own journey of working for decades in communities before becoming president as an example of gradual impact.
- He stresses the importance of hope and optimism as a foundation for making a difference in the world.
- Obama acknowledges skepticism about politics but insists that change requires engagement and belief in progress.
- He highlights that the world is in a historic period of relative peace and prosperity, which should inspire confidence.
- The speech encourages personal responsibility and proactive involvement in local and global issues.
- Obama’s message is universal, applying to young people in Peru and worldwide.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Success Through Passion
- 01:13Advice for Peruvian and Global Youth
- 02:21Progress and Optimism in the World
- 03:32Overcoming Cynicism and Taking Action
- 04:41Focus on What You Want to Do, Not What to Be
- 05:50Immediate Impact and Community Involvement
- 07:07Obama’s Personal Journey and Final Advice
- 08:37Summary and Encouragement to Stay Hopeful
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
And over time, because they were so good at what they did, they ended up being rich or they ended up being powerful and influential.
Speaker A
Um, hello Mr. President. Uh, it's really an honor to ask you this question.
Speaker A
Well, my name is Alono Corno. I'm from, I'm studying marketing at Universia Sanio Lyola, and um, my question is about what advice uh would you give to Peruvian students that they are starting to think differently, to making a change not just in
Speaker A
Peru, just um about uh all worldwide, make a change about worldwide. To what advice will you give that right now we live in a world that maybe uh the bad is good and uh good is bad. So what advice will you
Speaker A
give them to uh chase their dreams, uh make a country better, not Peru just uh worldwide? That will be my question. Look, the uh you, you're already doing so well. I I don't know that uh I can give you the perfect advice but
Speaker A
but I'll tell you what I tell my young people who work in the White House and uh who I meet in the United States because I think it's what's true in the United States is true for you as
Speaker A
well. Uh we live at a time where you're always seeing bad news. Everybody's bad news gets a lot of attention. But the truth is that in so many ways the world is better now than it was 20 years ago or 40 years ago
Speaker A
or a hundred years ago. People are healthier today. They're wealthier today. They're better educated today.
Speaker A
Uh the world if you look overall is less violent than it was. Look at the 20th century. Millions of people dying everywhere. Look at Latin America and the wars that were taking place everywhere across the continent. And so you actually are
Speaker A
living in a time of relative peace and historic prosperity. And I say that so that you should feel optimistic about the future. You shouldn't feel pessimistic. Yeah, you're always seeing bad news, but the truth is the world is in a place where it can solve its
Speaker A
problems and be even better 20 years from now or 50 years from now. You have to start with that hope, that sense of optimism inside you because if you don't feel that way then you don't bother to try to have an impact because you think
Speaker A
ah polit you know every politician is corrupt and all the governments are terrible and people are greedy and people are mean and so I'm just going to look out for myself and and then nothing gets better. So you have to start
Speaker A
knowing that things have gotten better and can continue to get better. That's number one. Number two, I always tell young people uh to and I don't know if this translates well in Spanish, but I'll but I say worry more about what you want to
Speaker A
do and not what you want to be. Now, here's what I mean. I think a lot of people they say to themselves, I want to be rich. Or they say to themselves, I want to be powerful. or they say I want to be
Speaker A
the president or I want to be a CEO. So they they they or I want to you know I want to be a rap star or whatever. So, so they say they have this idea, but the people I know who are most
Speaker A
successful, usually they're successful because they found something that they really care about and they worked at it and became really good at it.
Speaker A
And over time, because they were so good at what they did, they ended up being rich or they ended up being powerful and influential. But in the meantime, they were constantly doing what they enjoyed doing and learning and that's what made
Speaker A
them successful. So what I would say to all of you is find something you care deeply about. If you care about poor children, then find a way right now that you can start helping some poor children. Don't wait saying to yourself, "Oh, someday
Speaker A
when I'm president of Peru, I'm going to help poor children." No. Go now and find an organization or create an organization that is helping poor kids learn or or be exposed to new experiences. If you care about the
Speaker A
environment don't wait. In addition to your studies, you could start having an impact right now on trying to improve your local community or trying to be involved in some of the work that's being done around things like climate change.
Speaker A
The point is that once you decide what it is that you really care about, there are ways for you to now get involved and pursue that passion. And if you pursue that passion and you get good at it, you you're not
Speaker A
going to change the world overnight. Nobody does. I mean, I eventually at the age of 45 became a senator and then uh the president of the United States, but I worked for 25 years in poor communities and worked on issues and hopefully I was
Speaker A
doing some good even before I was famous or powerful so that you know if I hadn't ended up being president I would still look back and say, "I worked on the things that I cared about and I got something done
Speaker A
that was important." And and that I think is the most important advice that I have for you. You You're already doing so well. I I don't know that uh I can give you the perfect advice. you you're already doing so
Speaker A
well. I I don't know that uh I can give you the perfect advice. But but I'll tell you what I tell my young people who work in the White House and uh who I meet in the United States.
Speaker A
But but I'll tell you what I tell my young people who work in the White House and uh who I meet in the United States because I think it's what's true in the United States is true for you as
Speaker A
well. because I think it's what's true in the United States is true for you as well.
Speaker A
Uh we live at a time where you're always seeing bad news. Everybody's bad news gets a lot of attention.
Speaker A
We live at a time where you're always seeing bad news. Everybody's bad news gets a lot of attention.
Speaker A
But the truth is that in so many ways the world is better now than it was 20 years ago or 40 years ago or a 100 years ago. But the truth is that in so many ways the world is better now than it was
Speaker A
20 years ago or 40 years ago or a hundred years ago. People are healthier today. They're wealthier today. They're better educated today.
Speaker A
People are healthier today. They're wealthier today. They're better educated today. Uh the world, if you look overall, is less violent than it was.
Speaker A
Look at the 20th century. Millions of people dying everywhere. The world, if you look, overall is less violent than it was. Look at the 20th century. Millions of people dying everywhere.
Speaker A
Look at Latin America and the wars that were taking place everywhere across the continent. Look at Latin America and the wars that were taking place everywhere across the continent.
Speaker A
And so you actually are living in a time of relative peace and historic prosperity. And so you actually are living in a time of relative peace.
Speaker A
and historic prosperity. And I say that so that you should feel optimistic about the future.
Speaker A
You shouldn't feel pessimistic. And I say that so that you should feel optimistic about the future. You shouldn't feel pessimistic.
Speaker A
Yeah, you're always seeing bad news, but the truth is the world is in a place where it can solve its problems and be even better 20 years from now or 50 years from now.
Speaker A
Yeah, you're always seeing bad news, but the truth is the world is in a place where it can solve its problems and be even better 20 years from now or 50 years from out. You have to start with that hope,
Speaker A
that sense of optimism inside you because if you don't feel that way, then you don't bother to try to have an impact.
Speaker A
You have to start with that hope, that sense of optimism inside you because if you don't feel that way, then you don't bother to try to have an impact.
Speaker A
because you think ah polit you know every politician is corrupt and all the governments are terrible and people are greedy and people are mean and so I'm just going to look out for myself And because you think ah polit, you
Speaker A
know, every politician is corrupt and all the governments are terrible and people are greedy and people are mean and so I'm just going to loo
Speaker A
gotten better and can continue to get better. That's number one. and then nothing gets better. So you have to start knowing that things have gotten better and can continue to get better. That's number one.
Speaker A
Number two, I always tell young people uh to and I don't know if this translates well in Spanish, but I'll but I say number two, I always tell young people uh to and I don't know if this translates well in Spanish, but I'll but
Speaker A
I say worry more about what you want to do and not what you want to be.
Speaker A
worry more about what you want to do and not what you want to be. Now, here's what I mean. I think a lot of people, they say to themselves, I want to be rich. Or they say to themselves, I want
Speaker A
to be powerful. Now, here's what I mean. I think a lot of people, they say to themselves, I want to be rich. Or they say to themselves, I want to be powerful.
Speaker A
Or they say, "I want to be the president or I want to be a CEO." So they they they or I want to, you know, I want to be a rap star or what they say, I want to be the
Speaker A
president or I want to be a CEO. So they they they or I want to, you know, I want to be a rap star or what? So So they say they had this idea. So, so they say they had this
Speaker A
idea. But the people I know who are most successful, usually they're successful because they found something that they really care about.
Speaker A
But the people I know who are most successful, usually they're successful because they found something that they really care about.
Speaker A
And they worked at it and became really good at it. And they worked at it and became really good at it.
Speaker A
And over time, because they were so good at what they did, they ended up being rich or they ended up being powerful and influential.
Speaker A
And over time, because they were so good at what they did, they ended up being rich or they ended up being powerful and influential.
Speaker A
But in the meantime, they were constantly doing what they enjoyed doing and learning. And that's what made them successful. But in the meantime, they were constantly doing what they enjoyed doing and learning. And that's what made them successful.
Speaker A
So what I would say to all of you is find something you care deeply about. If you care about poor children, then find a way right now that you can start helping some poor children.
Speaker A
What I would say to all of you is find something you care deeply about. If you care about poor children, then find a way right now that you can start helping some poor children.
Speaker A
Don't wait saying to yourself, "Oh, someday when I'm president of Peru, I'm going to help poor children." Don't wait saying to yourself, "Oh, someday when I'm president of Peru, I'm going to help poor children." No. Go now and find an
Speaker A
organization or create an organization that is helping Poor kids learn or or be exposed to new experiences. No. Go now and find an organization or create an organization that is helping poor kids learn or or be exposed to new
Speaker A
experiences. If you care about the environment, don't wait. If you care about the environment, don't wait. In addition to your studies, you could start having an impact right now on trying to improve your local community.
Speaker A
In addition to your studies, you could start having an impact right now on trying to improve your local community or trying to be involved in some of the work that's being done around things like climate change.
Speaker A
or trying to be involved in some of the work that's being done around things like climate change.
Speaker A
The point is that once you decide what it is that you really care about, there are ways for you to now get involved and pursue that passion.
Speaker A
The point is that once you decide what it is that you really care about, there are ways for you to now get involved and pursue that passion. And if you pursue that passion and you get good at it, you you're not
Speaker A
going to change the world overnight nobody does. And if you pursue that passion and you get good at it, you you're not going to change the world overnight. Nobody does.
Speaker A
I mean, I eventually at the age of 45 became a senator and then uh the president of the United States, but I worked for 25 years in poor communities and worked on issues I mean, I eventually at the age of
Speaker A
45 became a senator and then uh the president of the United States, but I worked for 25 years in poor communities and worked on issues and hopefully I was doing some good even before I was famous or powerful And hopefully I was doing some
Speaker A
good even before I was famous or powerful so that you know if I hadn't ended up being president I could still look back and say I worked on the things that I cared about and I got something done that was
Speaker A
important. So that, you know, if I hadn't ended up being president, I could still look back and say I worked on the things that I cared about and I got something done that was important.
Speaker A
and and that I think is the most important advice that I have for you and and that I think is the most important advice that I have for you.
Topics:Barack ObamaEnglish learningmotivational speechhope and actionsuccess adviceoptimismyouth empowermentglobal changepersonal growthinspiration
